Sewing machine



June 19, 1934. BOYCE 1,963,348.

SEWING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

g W A 'ORNEYS.

June 19, 1934.

E. E. BOYCE 1,963,348

SEWING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1931 3 She ts-Sheet 2 a A TgRNEYS. 3

June 19, 1934. BOYCE 1,963,348

SEWING MACHINE Filed May 20, 1931 3 Shets-Sheet 3 (XVII 1 N V EN TOR. [/QT/f/Af [.12 are:

BY I a ATQRNEYS.

Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES SEWING MACHINE Erskine Ebenezer Boyce, Gastonia, N. 0.

Application May 20, 1931, Serial No. 538,845

11 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines and particularly to improvements in attachments for sewing machines for the production of tufted rugs, bath mats and the like, in which the loops formed by the needle passing the thread through the fabric are caught by a movable finger and severed to form piling.

The principal objects of my invention include first the provision of an attachment or mechanism of the character above specified to produce a more even piling on tufted rugs, bath mats and similar articles; second, the provision of means whereby the attachment and particularly the tufting mechanism comprising a movable member to receive the loops from the needle and means for severing the lops are freely adjustable so that the device is readily adaptable to machines operating with either a short or long stitch; third, the provisioh of means for facilitating removal of the completed article from the machine without pulling on the loops formed at the end of the fabric thus improving the appearance of the finished product and facilitating the manufacture thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the detailed description of the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown preferred embodiments of the invention and in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sewing machine with mechanism embodying my invention applied thereto, parts being broken away;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation partly in section;

Fig. 3 is.an end elevation with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view partly in elevation and partly in section showing the loop receiving finger and knife; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 5 showing the parts in different relative positions.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the numeral 10 designates the head of a sewing machine having the usual needle bar 11, carrying the needle 12, and provided with the presser foot 13. The tufting thread 14 is threaded through the needle in the usual way, and the fabric 15 is passed over the top '16 of the sewing machine under the needle 12 so that the needle pierces the fabric and carriesthe thread therethrough in loops as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7.

The needle bar and presser foot are operated by the usual mechanism within the head 10 which in turn is operated by the shaft 1'? connected to the pulley 18 around which the belt 19. passes from a'source of power not shown. The eccentric 20 is mounted on the shaft 1'1 and is connected to the arm 21 which is pivotally connected at 22 to the link23 rigidly secured at one end to the shaft 24 so that the reciprocating movement imparted to the arm 21 by the eccentric 20 will be transmitted to the shaft 24 which extends longitudinallly beneath the top 16. The shaft 24 is connected to an arm 25 by the link 26, and the other end of the arm 25 is connected to a frame 27 which is mounted or connected to the supporting bracket 28 for reciprocating movement imparted through the medium of the arm 25 and link 26 from the shaft 24. A shaft 29 is connected to the frame 27 for reciprocating movement therewith transversely of the top 16.

- The mechanism for feeding the fabric across the top of the machine comprises a link 30 which extends transversely beneath the top and which is journaled at 31 on an arm 32 and the opposite end of the link is forked as at 33 toreceive an extension 34 of the arm 35 connected at 36 to the shaft 37. The shaft 3'7 is oscillated through the medium of the extension 33, the arrangement being such that the link 30 is moved oppositely to the'movements of the shaft 29. The link 30 is provided with an upward extension having a toothed surface 40 disposed in an opening 41 in the top of the machine through which the needle operates. The tufting elementscomprise a block 42 adjustably mounted on the shaft 29 by the set screw 43, and the loop receiving finger 44 is secured'to the top of. the block by means of screws 45, the finger being disposed toward the needle beneath the opening 41, and having a hook 46 at its outer end. It will be noted that the finger is freely adjustable on the shaft 29 for a purpose to be later described. The finger is bifurcated or provided with a central opening to receive the knife 47. I

The knife 47 is preferably operated from a separate source of power from that which operates shaft 24 and the elements of the sewing machine above described, the knife being mounted on a shaft 48 which extends through an opening in the supporting bracket 49 which is'adjustably mounted on supports 50 by means of the set screws 51 extending through slots 52 in the supporting bracket as shown in Fig. 3. The shaft 48 and knife 4'7 are reciprocated vertically andat substantially a right angle to the movement of the finger 44 by the cam 53 which engages the roller 54 mounted at the lower end of the shaft 48, the

spring 55 being mounted around the shaft 48 between the bracket 49 and the mounting for the roller to constantly urge the roller 54 into contact with the cam 53. The cam 53 is carried on the outer end" of the shaft 56 journaled through the bearings 57 and connected at its other end to the pulley 58 which is rotated by the belt 59 running to a source of power not shown but preferably independent of the mechanism operating the fabric feeder and finger and other parts of the sewing machine.

It should be apparent from the foregoing that the knife 4'7 may be constantly operating or reciprocating at a very rapid rate even though the sewing machine is not in operation and when the sewing machine is in operation or the operation thereof is begun the knife will be reciprocating rapidly in the opening in the finger. It will also be apparent that the knife may be adjusted relative to the loop receiving finger by means of the 1 set screws 51 whereby the assembly carrying the knife and its operating parts can be moved backward and forward. As has been explained the.

finger 44 is also freely adjustable on the shaft 29 .so that the relative position of the finger and needle and the finger and knife may be varied to suit the requirements of any particular length of stitch and stroke of the needle. I have found that when the finger and knife are adjusted so as to leave one or two loops on the finger uncut .while other loops are being received rather than cutting each loop as it is received on the finger there will always be a retention on the stitches formed by the needle as the needle returns to its position above the fabric, whereas if each loop is cut as picked up by the finger when the needle moves up, there will be nothing to hold the stitch uniformly in the fabric and an irregular pile willresult.

The operation is as follows, assuming that the pulley 58 is already being rotated by the belt 59 from a source of power not shown to operate the knife in the manner hereinbefore described, the sewing machine is started and the shaft 24 is oscillated by the reciprocating arm 21 connected to the eccentric 20. The arm 25 will cause the frame .27 to reciprocate transversely of the top of the machine to move the shaft 29 and finger 44, and the shaft 37 and arm 35 will move the link 30 and feeder 40 oppositely to the movement of the finger so that as the loops are formed by downward movement of the needle through the fabric they will be disposed ahead of the finger which is moving theretoward and as the needle returns the loop is caught on the finger and retained by the hook 46 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. It will be understood tlfit theknife is reciprocating at a very rapid rate and as the finger brings the loops back during its return movement they will be successively and cleanly severed by the merable so that whether the machine is set to' make a long stitch and 'needle stroke or a short stitch. and needle stroke the finger and knife could be readily and accurately adjusted to meet the condition. I

When the fabric has been fed across the machine, there will be no difficulty in removing it,

such as now encountered, as it is generally the case that the last remaining loops will be pulled out in removing the fabric from the machine, unless the operator stops and severs the loops independently of the mechanism intended for the purpose. Under'my arrangement when the operator removes the fabric from the machine the last remaining stitches come against the oscillating knife and are cut just the same as if the feeding mechanism had brought them in contact as in the regular operation.

I claim:

1. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and a needle therein, a loop engaging member mounted for reciprocating movement across the path of movement of the needle, said loop engaging member having an opening therein, a loop severing knife mounted independently of said member for reciprocating movement through said opening across the path of movement of the loop engaging member during reciprocating movement of said member, and said member having means to draw loops against said knife.

2. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and a needle mounted 'therein, means for reciprocating said needle bar, an oscillating shaft, means for oscillating said shaft from the needle bar operating means, a reciprocating shaft operatively connected to said oscillating shaft, a loop engaging member carried bysaid reciprocating shaft for movement across the path of movement of the needle, and a loop severing knife mounted for'reciprocating movement across the path of movement of the loop engaging member and being operable independently of said loop engaging member.

3. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and a needle carried therein, a loop engaging member mount-,

respect to the position of the needle, and a loop v severing knife mounted independently of said member for reciprocating movement across the path of movement of the loop engaging member and adjustable with respect thereto.

4. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and needle carried therein, a loop engaging member mounted for reciprocating movement across the path of movement of the needle, said member having an opening and a loop severing knife adjustably mounted through said opening for reciprocating movement across the path of movement of the loop engaging member, and means independent of said member for reciprocating said knife through said opening.

5. In combination with a sewing machine having a top and a needle bar mounted for recipro-- eating movement above an opening in the top, and a member movable across the path of movement of the needle bar to receive loops of thread, a shaft beneath the top, a cam for reciprocating said shaft toward and away from the top, a blade carried by said shaft adjacent the loop receiving member, said blade and loop receiving member being movable independently ,of each other, and means on said member for drawing loops against said blade to be severed thereby.

6. In combination with a sewing machine having a top and a needle bar mounted for reciprocating movement above the top, and a member movable across the path of movement of the needle bar to receive loops of thread, a bracket mounted below the top foradjustable movement, a shaft supported by said bracket for reciprocating movement, a cam for imparting reciprocating movement to said shaft toward and away from the top, and a blade carried by said shaft in the path of movement of the loop receiving member.

'I. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and a needle therein, a loop engaging member mounted for reciprocating movement across the path of movement of the needle, a loop severing knife mounted for reciprocating movement across the path of movement ofthe loop engaging member, means connected to a common source of power for operating the needle bar and loop engaging member, and means connected with another source of power for operating the loop severing knife.

8. The structure of claim 7 wherein the loop engaging member is adjustable with respect to the needle and knifeto regulate the number of loops carried by said member between said needle and the knife.

9. A tufting attachment for sewing machines comprising a reciprocating shaft, a loop engaging member adjustably mounted on the shaft and having a hooked end, a loop severing knife mounted independently ofxsaid loop receiving member, and means for reciprocating said knife across the path of movement of the loop receiving member.

10. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and a needle carried therein, a loop engaging member mounted for movement across the path of movement of the needle to receive loops formed by the needle, means to actuate said" member, a loop severing knife mounted independently of said member, and means independent of said first means for continuously moving the knife relative to said member to sever the loops thereon.

11. In a sewing machine of the class described including a reciprocating needle bar and a needle carried therein, a loop engaging member mounted for movement across the path of movement of the needle to receive loops formed by the needle, means to actuate said member, a loop severing knife mounted independently of said member, and means independent of said first means for continuously moving the knife relative to said member to sever the loops thereon, said member being adjustable with respect to the position of the needle and said knife being adjustable with respect to said member.

ERSKINE EBENEZER BOYCE. 

